"There is much to do," says EIC Walmsley

In the wake of CANADALAND’s report on the rapid departure of several female editors from The Globe and Mail, Editor-in-Chief David Walmsley last week issued an internal staff memo.

The memo, titled “newsroom culture at The Globe” recognizes a need for management to “double down to make The Globe a place where people want to stay in the long-term, particularly women.”

Here is the memo, in its entirety:

Memo: newsroom culture at The Globe

From: “Walmsley, David”

Date:07-07-2015 9:08 AM (GMT-05:00)

To:

Subject: Newsroom Culture

To all,

In recent days there has been understandable focus on the people leaving The Globe and Mail. Some have left the industry entirely, others to new opportunities. Retention remains a big issue for us.

We are committed to providing a work environment where all staff are encouraged to do their best work, where they feel their work is acknowledged on its merits, and where their ideas are respected. Our talent is our most precious commodity.

We know from those we have recruited in recent months that The Globe remains a destination employer but we also recognise the need to double down to make The Globe a place where people want to stay in the long-term, particularly women. The investment of time and effort by the high-performing, high calibre staff in editorial takes a significant bump when somebody leaves. We want to encourage a better early warning system, a chance to reduce the obstacles and the exhaustion felt by so many.

This is some of what we are planning to do.

· Over the summer, we are planning to shore up our production resources to ensure we are not short-staffed.

· We are reviewing and analyzing recent exit interviews.

· We will facilitate peer sessions with managers. In these sessions, beginning shortly, managers will support each other and learn tips about how to successfully manage their areas.

· We are seeking volunteers to join a working group that can identify and fix deficiencies in our culture and improve work opportunities – including issues related to gender. If you are interested in joining please send me an email.

To help with communication and the exchange of ideas there are a number of forums to choose from.

We have created an Ideas email address [email protected] as a suggestion box for further ideas.

I will also continue to meet with the employee engagement committee on a monthly basis. If you would like to use this forum, please speak to those committee members to bring forward your ideas.

You can also talk to me or your manager about ideas you have to improve how the newsroom works. There is much to do.

I will be meeting with all departments in the weeks ahead to listen to ideas and get your input.